


Personae

by dragonsHourglass



Category: Persona 3, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, Other, Shadow Operatives, anyway theres some vague spoilers, bc let say they join after graduating, but honestly, hey theres a tag for them, if the shadow operatives are a thing tf are they doing, no p4a(u) tag? lmao okay, oh also naoto is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10817319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsHourglass/pseuds/dragonsHourglass
Summary: Akira receives a strange visitor while in jail.





	Personae

**Author's Note:**

> i cant write akira for the life of me but i miss and love mitsuru

It had already been about a month since he had turned himself over to the police for being the leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves, and Akira was wearing down. He had already grown thinner, and if he had eyebags from lack of sleep before then they had been nothing compared to what he had now.

He was haunted by ghostly gunshots from behind a metal wall and black ooze bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the demise of anyone else he couldn't save.

And he missed his friends more than anything. Their laughter, their encouragement…

But despite it all, he walked around the place with his head held high and a smirk on his lips. He had been the most wanted man in Japan for a considerable amount of time, after all, and the proud rebel in him couldn't help but feel strong.

Every now and then he was called to speak with the elder Niijima or some other official about his case. He had only seen Sae the other day when he was summoned once more, but the name they gave him rang no bells.

The woman he was met with on the other side of the glass was probably in her mid-to-late 20s, with sharp makeup and a sharp gaze. She was regal in her large, fluffy, white fur coat, with her hair a deep red and neatly curled around her shoulders. Her voice was smooth, and elegant.

“Kurusu Akira,” she stated, acknowledging the young man as he sat down before her.

“What do you want?” Akira had no particular problem with being visited by a stranger, but the habitual bite of his own tongue conveyed a harsher mood.

“My name is Kirijo Mitsuru,” the woman continued, as though he hadn't spoke. Indeed, the name she gave him matched that that he had been given earlier. “I am the leader of a group called the _Shadow Operatives_.”

Akira's eyebrows shot up behind his messy bangs. _Shadow_? He couldn't ask for clarification on whether or not she was talking about what he thought she was before she continued.

“We have been made vaguely aware of your situation, and we have been given clearance to do a little investigation of our own on the side of that of the police.”

Akira narrowed his eyes, suspicious. “Investigation?”

“Yes,” Mitsuru swiftly crossed one leg over the other, showing off a dangerous heel as she did so. “You see, my group and I all have –” she leaned a little closer to the glass, her eyes unwavering, “– similar abilities like those of you and your friends.”

So, Personas existed outside of Tokyo and the Phantom Thieves, was what Akira came to understand. And this woman and her organization all shared the ability to weaponize one's heart.

Before he spoke, he glanced up at the security camera in the corner of the room.

“They can only see us,” Kirijo assured, “Whatever you say, only I will hear.”

“You have a Persona,” he then clarified, eyes dark and mischievous behind his glasses. The edge of his lip twitched up in a self-satisfied smirk – his chances at being released had suddenly skyrocketed.

Kirijo nodded. “I have years of experience fighting Shadows, as well.”

_Years, hm?_

“How did you find me?”

“This _mental shutdown_ business is remarkably similar to a phenomenon I investigated myself in high school. That, and you and your friends made quite the name for yourselves, didn't you? A sly group calling themselves _thieves_ changing the state of people's hearts using mysterious and unknown methods… Personas and Shadows deal with the state of one’s heart, you know. Once our detective caught wind of you, it didn't take long at all for them to figure it out.”

To think, that they would have been so hard to track down in the eyes on the general public (they had only gotten caught thanks to another Persona-user, after all), but here was one woman, claiming one person she knew figured out more than the police collectively. But…

“Well, you're a little late, Kirijo-san,” Akira said, leaning on an elbow on the tabletop before him, “I've turned myself in; the Metaverse here is gone. It's over.”

Contrary to his expectations, Kirijo didn't falter.

“Is it?”

“We defeated the being responsible for its presence – a _god_ , if you'll believe it.”

Kirijo merely laughed softly to herself. “You were the leader of the Phantom Thieves, were you not?”

Akira narrowed his eyes, the subject change taking him off guard. He nodded.

“Then, may I venture a guess and say you possess the power of the Wild Card? The ability to wield multiple Personas?”

It would have been futile to try and hide his surprise at that. Just how much did this woman and her _Shadow Operatives_ know?

“I'll take that as a _yes_ , then.”

“How did you–” he started, confusion lining his face.

“I once knew someone with the same power, who, too, acted as a leader. That detective I mentioned knows someone else who is the same, as well.”

Akira sat silent for a moment, before looking up into Kirijo’s calm eyes. “It's not like it matters now. Like I said, the Metaverse is gone. I can't use my Personas anymore.”

Instead of responding properly, Kirijo said, “Tell me about this _Metaverse._ ”

Everything about this conversation was surreal, as though it were a dream.

“You said you have a Persona,” was all Akira countered, “You must have been to… Some place similar?”

“Shadows do not appear in the real world, but always alternate realities, usually affected in some way by the will of the real world and ruled over by some divine force.”

Her explanation didn't answer his question so much as feed him information he could have told her himself.

“That's… Exactly what the Metaverse was.”

“So you used it to change the hearts of criminals. How?”

It all felt like his interrogation from Sae again, but if Sae herself had been much, _much_ more understanding.

“You've already figured out so much,” _There_ was his snark. “Can't you tell me how we did it?”

Kirijo frowned. If Akira hadn't seen much scarier things in his life, he might have been intimidated.

“Shadows and their worlds seem to present themselves in a slightly different manner every time they emerge. So, _Kurusu._ Take this seriously, and please answer my question.”

Akira scoffed. Kirijo certainly had an icy attitude, but he obeyed nonetheless.

“In the Metaverse, places called Palaces would appear for those with extremely distorted desires. For those wanting and doing whatever they can to get it. The ruler of each Palace is that person's Shadow, a version of them that expresses who they really are. Killing that person's Shadow would trigger a mental shutdown, but we never… We didn't kill _anyone._ ”

“I believe you. Continue, please.”

“To cause a change of heart, all we would need to do it steal that person's Treasure, the source of their desires.”

“You literally stole their desires,” Kirijo clarified, “Clever… I've never heard of personal Shadows developing objects in such a way… _Interesting…_ ”

She seemed to have gone deep into thought, and Akira took that as an opportunity to study her.

She certainly seemed honest, and Akira’s impressions of peoples’ natures had seldom been wrong. Either she was a fantastic liar, or she was telling the truth. And either way, she knew about his abilities, so withholding basic information didn't seem like it would hurt – though, Akira stayed on the defensive, just in case.

“So, why _did_ you come to me now?” he asked, “Why not _before_ I turned myself in? You know, when I _had_ a Persona.”

“You still have a Persona,” Kirijo immediately focused her attention back on the high-schooler before her. “Can you not feel it?”

What was that supposed to mean? He hadn't ever been able to sense his own Persona in the real world. In the Metaverse, yes, and in the Velvet Room? Certainly.

“You have not wiped Shadows from the world,” Kirijo said, “We, the Shadow Operatives, exist to deal with their presence, after all. All you need are the right circumstances, and you will always be able to summon. Unless, of course, you have let go of whatever it was that initially summoned it?”

_Rebellion._ No, Akira had certainly not let go of his rebellious spirit. Sure, he only ever had been able to express it in the Metaverse, but it sure was having a ball knowing he had done something significant with it.

Kirijo continued to speak.

“I regret not being able to approach you sooner, but this _was_ the soonest we could make it. Unfortunately, you have already won your battle, but we will try our best to help clear your name in your upcoming case. Don't worry – nothing we spoke of here will be repeated to anyone outside our organization.”

Akira hesitated. “So, you only came to tell me you have a Persona too, and that you'll _try_ to help my case? _Thanks._ ”

Kirijo didn't seem to appreciate the sarcasm.

“No, actually. I have not yet gotten to ask what I came here to.”

Akira waited for her to continue.

“I am actually here to offer you a job. You are undoubtedly strong, and having a Wild Card on our team once more would give us quite the advantage. Of course, I don't expect you to answer right away – you do still have a year of school to finish, after all. But, if you are interested, the Shadow Operatives would gladly welcome you into its ranks once you are released and graduated.”

A job, hm? Compelling, but a job wasn't exactly the first thing on Akira's mind.

Kirijo suddenly stood.

“I'd give you my business card, but I'm afraid I will have to wait to approach you upon your release. Do think about my offer, will you? No need to rush, of course.

“Thank you for your time, Kurusu. I must get going. Good luck at your trial next month.”

And then, with a _clack_ of each step she took, growing fainter as she left, Kirijo Mitsuru was suddenly gone, as if she hadn't put Kurusu Akira through an oddly understanding conversation and left him with a bizarre job offer.

  
He didn't know what he was going to do in regards to her proposal, but he knew that he would have to keep an eye out for that red hair and aura of queenliness.

**Author's Note:**

> i thought i was done obsessing w this series


End file.
